You probably remember the poster. It was 2010. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a man built like a literal mountain, was wearing a pair of giant, shimmering white wings and a spandex hockey uniform. He looked slightly annoyed, mostly confused, and very, very pink.
Tooth Fairy is one of those movies that shouldn’t exist on paper, yet it somehow managed to gross over $112 million worldwide. If you were a kid back then, it was the height of comedy. If you were a parent, it was 101 minutes of watching a former WWE champion try to convince Julie Andrews that he was worthy of "fairy duty."
Honestly, it’s a weird film. It’s a relic of a very specific time in Dwayne Johnson’s career—a time before he was the billionaire franchise savior we know today. Back then, he was still figuring out if he wanted to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger or the next Sinbad.
The Bizarre Plot of the Tooth Fairy Movie With the Rock
Dwayne Johnson plays Derek Thompson. He’s a minor-league hockey "enforcer" nicknamed—you guessed it—the Tooth Fairy. Why? Because he’s specifically paid to slam people into the boards until their teeth fly out. It’s a pretty dark premise for a family movie if you actually think about it for more than three seconds.
Derek is a cynical guy. He doesn’t believe in magic, and he makes the mistake of telling his girlfriend’s daughter that the real tooth fairy isn't real. Big mistake. Huge.
This act of "dissemination of disbelief" (which is a real legal term in Fairyland, apparently) leads to a summons. Derek grows wings, gets teleported to a magical realm, and is sentenced to two weeks of hard labor as an actual tooth fairy.
A Cast That Had No Business Being This Good
What’s wild about this movie isn't just the wings. It’s the people who agreed to be in it. We’re talking about actual legends here.
- Julie Andrews as Lily, the high-ranking fairy boss. She brings "The Sound of Music" energy to a movie where The Rock gets hit in the groin with tennis balls.
- Stephen Merchant as Tracy, a wingless fairy who acts as Derek’s case worker. Merchant basically carries the comedy on his back.
- Billy Crystal as Jerry, the gadget man. He’s like Q from James Bond, but instead of exploding pens, he gives Derek "Amnesia Dust" and "Cat Away" spray.
- Ashley Judd as Carly, the patient girlfriend who is somehow okay with dating a guy who constantly disappears to go rob houses of their baby teeth.
It’s an odd mix of talent. You’ve got the creator of The Office (the UK version) riffing with the guy who played the Scorpion King.
Why Did the Rock Make This Movie Anyway?
Looking back from 2026, it’s easy to forget that Dwayne Johnson wasn’t always a sure bet. He had a run in the late 2000s where he was leaning hard into the "tough guy doing soft things" trope. Think The Game Plan or Race to Witch Mountain.
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In a recent interview on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Johnson admitted that during this era, he was playing it safe. He was going through a divorce from Dany Garcia and just wanted projects that felt light and had happy endings. He wasn't ready to "rip his guts out" for a dramatic role yet.
Tooth Fairy was the peak of that "safe" era. It was manufactured for families. It was designed to sell tickets to kids who wanted to see a big man fall down. And it worked. Even though critics absolutely thrashed it—it currently sits at a painful 17% on Rotten Tomatoes—audiences didn't care. They gave it an A- CinemaScore.
The Surprising Legacy of Fairyland
Despite the tutus and the dental puns ("You can't handle the tooth!"), the movie actually had some heart. The subplot involving Derek helping his girlfriend's son, Randy, with his guitar skills is surprisingly grounded.
It’s also technically a Blumhouse movie. Yes, that Blumhouse. Jason Blum produced it. It’s a weird piece of trivia that the studio now known for M3GAN and The Invisible Man once put The Rock in a tutu.
The Financials and the Direct-to-Video Sequel
The movie cost about $48 million to make. While $112 million isn't "Marvel money," it was enough for 20th Century Fox to consider it a win.
However, when they decided to make a sequel, the budget clearly went out the window. Tooth Fairy 2 came out in 2012, but it didn't feature The Rock. Instead, it starred Larry the Cable Guy. It went straight to DVD. If you haven't seen it, you aren't missing much, though it's a fascinating look at how a franchise can immediately lose its steam when the main star leaves.
How to Watch It Today
If you’re feeling nostalgic for 2010 or just want to see Dwayne Johnson struggle with an invisibility spray that only works on his clothes (leaving him invisible but naked, classic comedy trope), here’s how to find it:
- Check Disney+: Since Disney acquired Fox, it often pops up there.
- Digital Rental: It’s usually a few bucks on Amazon, Apple TV, or Google Play.
- The Bargain Bin: Honestly, you can probably find a DVD copy at a thrift store for fifty cents. It’s the quintessential "thrift store find."
Actionable Insight for Parents: If you’re planning a movie night, Tooth Fairy is safe for ages 6 and up. It’s clean, it’s loud, and the physical comedy keeps kids engaged. Just be prepared for your children to ask why the "Moana guy" is wearing wings.
For the cinephiles, watch it as a time capsule. It represents the exact moment before Dwayne Johnson met the Fast & Furious franchise and transformed into a global icon. It’s the "before" picture in the greatest career makeover in Hollywood history.
Next Steps for Your Movie Night:
- Verify if the movie is currently streaming on your specific region's Disney+ or Hulu.
- Check out the 2012 sequel starring Larry the Cable Guy if you’re a glutton for punishment or a completionist.
- Look up Stephen Merchant’s other work like The Outlaws to see what a comedic genius he is when he's not playing a fairy supervisor.